Whatley Manor recognized as UK’s first Climate Positive hotel

Whatley Manor Hotel has announced its achievement as the first Climate Positive hotel and spa in the UK. As part of its comprehensive sustainability and decarbonisation strategy starting February 2019, Whatley Manor partnered with NOW Transforming Hospitality GmbH and EarthCheck for an accountable and transparent integrated sustainability programme that use a science-based approach to measure and benchmark, audit and certify; to build capacity and report its sustainability actions to inform and engage the support of its stakeholders;and to avoid accusations of greenwash. The hotel spent five years maximising the reduction of its Scope 1, 2 and 3 carbon emissions and achieved EarthCheck Silver Certified in September 2022, then joined the NOW Climate Positive Programme to access extensive support and a selection of high integrity, climate action projects. Additionally, Whatley Manor funded climate action by investing in a Cookstove Project in Kenya and purchased high-quality carbon credits certified by Gold Standard to offset more than its residual 1778 tonnes of CO2 emitted in 2022 to achieve Climate Positive and support the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). Much of the work towards the hotel’s sustainability goals was spearheaded by outgoing general manager Sue Williams, who still works with Whatley in her capacity as an independent sustainability advisor. Hotel owner Christian Landolt said: “At Whatley Manor Hotel, we believe that luxury should not come at the expense of the environment. Becoming the first Climate Positive hotel in the UK is a testament to the team’s dedication to create a positive impact on the planet while delivering an exceptional guest experience. “Despite our significant achievements so far, there is still much to do, our actions do not stop here and we cannot / will not rest on our laurels. We are committed to achieving Climate Positive each year to ensure we carry on being responsible for more than our current emissions, respecting nature, people and planet.”